30 SECOND GUIDE: Tell Sid

SID. If you can remember 1986,
you’ll recall the advertising campaign
that encouraged people to
buy shares in British Gas, privatised
25 years ago.
‘If you see Sid, tell him’ ran the
slogan, and around 1.5million did at a
cost of 135p a pop, in a £9billion share
offer, the largest ever at the time.

Worth it?

You bet. The minimum allocation
of 100 shares, costing £135,
would be worth some £1,720
today. Those who have left their
shares untouched hold stock in
three companies: Centrica, BG
Group and National Grid. Of the
three, BG has been the star performer,
up from 250p to 1360p in
the past decade.

Missing out: Some 30,000 people have never claimed a penny of the dividends they are owed from buying British Gas shares in 1986

Good investment then?

Quite a few people have sold
their stock and made a tidy
profit doing so. But an estimated
30,000 forgot all about their new
investment and have never
claimed a penny of the dividends
they are owed. If a root around
the attic reveals a box full of
share certificates, there are companies
who will help you claim
the cash you’ve missed out on,
for a fee of course.

What else?

Remember those 100 shares, up
in value from £135 to £1,720?
Add in 25 years of unclaimed
dividends and it’s more like
£2,000. That should take care of
the Christmas presents.